Team Herald
VASCO: Velsao-Pale villagers on Thursday stopped the South Western Railway (SWR) staff from undertaking the annual maintenance work of replacing the telecom cable near the railway track.
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The villagers showed their land ownership documents to the Railway Protection Force and asked the railway staff to avail permissions from the local panchayat and go ahead with the cable replacement work.
The railway staff failed to show the documents and permissions.
Max Souza, a villager informed media persons that since last one week the railway employees are trying to undertake some work near the track where a pathway has been kept for the villagers by their ancestors.
He mentioned that the villagers asked the railway employees to seek permissions from the panchayat to replace the damaged telecommunication cable.
Max said he produced the property ownership documents to the railway employees and in a letter to the railway authorities asked them to conduct inspection and settle the dispute but the railway officials refused to come.
Orville Dourado Rodrigues, VACAD founder said, “Some villagers explained the matter to the Railway Protection Force and to the local police present at the site stating that the property belongs to the villagers. They also showed the documents to the RPF and in return asked the railway staff to produce their land ownership documents, which they failed.”
Rodrigues said the locals have objected to the blocking of the pathway near the railway track which the villagers claim has been kept by their ancestors.
Meanwhile, Railway Protection Force PI Ritesh Kumar said, “The railway staff had gone to undertake the annual maintenance work of replacing the telecom cables of railway near the track. The locals came and showed the land ownership documents and asked the railway staff to show the title documents of the property and suggested that the railway staff get permission from the panchayat to carry out the maintenance work. The police and the people got dispersed after the brief interaction.”
